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Highlights
- The New Zealand government releases its National Land Transport Plan.
- To invest NZ$24.3 billion in transport services and infrastructure over three years.
- NZ$6-billion earmarked for public transport, walking and cycling.
The Government of New Zealand released the 2021-24 National Land Transport Plan (NLTP) on Tuesday. The NZ$24.3-billion plan entails a substantial investment in transport services and infrastructure to support New Zealand’s economic recovery.
Investments will be made by the New Zealand government over the next three years and signify a 44% increase in the investments made in the previous three-year plan.
Also Read: NZ railways to get NZ$1.3-billion investment in next 3 years
Image Source: © 2021 Kalkine Media
The Plan to create several jobs
Transport minister Michael Wood said the NLTP would help in economic recovery by creating thousands of jobs around New Zealand.
Interesting Read: Done with recession? What are the different kinds of economic recoveries?
Public Transport to get a boost
It was a demand from the local governments in NZ that roads and public transport need to be be spruced up. Mr Woods said that the government has responded to that by providing NZ$2 billion of financing.
The plan will also support spending on emissions reduction and congestion by giving New Zealanders several transport options. In this regard, the NLTP takes a step forward in allocating NZ$6 billion for public transport and walking and cycling.
Also Read: Will Government’s New Building Law Create More Affordable Housing in New Zealand?
To further reduce emissions NLTP delivers NZ$1.3 billion for NZ Rail Plan and NZ$ 30 million for coastal shipping.
Also Read: Is New Zealand on the right path to become a zero-carbon country?
Safety remains a top priority in this plan, so the government said that there will be an investment of NZ$2.9 billion on the road safety plan called Road to Zero to help prevent tragedies on road.
Strengthening the transport network that is being impacted by adverse weather conditions is another important part of the plan. A NZ$7-billion investment is planned for highways and local roads maintenance.
Bottomline: The government has stepped up its spending on transport and infrastructure by 44% to help the economic recovery and cut down emissions and congestion on the NZ roads. The most important plank of the plan is a NZ$6-billion investment into public transport, walking and cycling to provide Kiwis with more transport options.
